TOUGH TIMES BRING OUT BEST, SAYS PROP

THERE is always something extra in an Anzac Day clash for Cowboys prop Jordan

McLean.

His time with the Melbourne Storm allowed him to experience the atmosphere when they took on the Warriors in a commemorative match-up in honour of the two nations’ militaries.

McLean still recalls the first time he experienced it — the crowd in the stadium went quiet, time stood still and the atmosphere was captivating.

“You walk out there, you warm up and then go back out with the lights off,” McLean said. “It’s pitch black, everything is so quiet, you stand there for the Last Post and it’s that quiet and dark – you could hear a pin drop in such a big stadium.

“Singing the anthem, it was hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck sort of stuff.”

When McLean was with the Storm, coach Craig Bellamy used to subject his charges to a military-style pre-season camp and the Cowboys prop said those few days gave the players a brief insight into what soldiers went through.

McLean said it enhanced each individuals’ appreciation for the sacrifices made by the Anzacs and fuelled the emotion of the ensuing contest.

It was a feeling he was looking forward to recapturing prior to the coronavirus pandemic, but one he is eager to return to next year.

“You start to find out what you have inside of yourself when you’re three days into a camp, physically and mentally fatigued – there’s definitely some thoughts running through the head,” McLean said. “When you’re doing it tough – say you’re defending your line and you’re really under pressure – it’s about standing up and having your mates back and not letting him down.

“I think any time, it doesn’t matter what you play for, any time you’re doing it tough you get to see what your mates are made of.”